Solving the Wii's Control Problems

Ten years ago, when Nintendo introduced the N64 and its analog stick, the move created an industry-wide decision to use the analog (or control thumbstick) to control three-dimensional movement in videogames. After the N64 demonstrated its superior "free-movement" controls in Super Mario 64, it didn't take Sony very long to introduce their own version of a similar controller; the Dual Analog, which later evolved into the Dual Shock.

Ten years later, the same company is doing the exact same thing all over again: Introducing a revolutionary controller with the potential to create a lasting industry-wide trend. This time, however, things are slightly different from the last. While the Wii remote has more potential to create a newer, more immersive form of game control than the analog stick did, it is also harder to implement in games. Motion-sensitivity in games wasn't unheard of before the Wii, but it is only now that an active movement is being carried out to truly make it a standard in videogame control.

However, keeping in mind that 1:1 control cannot be achieved at this point in time and that high-definition resolutions are impossible on the Wii, one needs to look to other options to provide the illusion of realism.

"After the N64 demonstrated its superior "free-movement" controls in Super Mario 64, it didn't take Sony very long to introduce their own version of a similar controller; the Dual Analog, which later evolved into the Dual Shock."

a well written article, good read. being a wii owner since launch, i understand the limitations and also the possibilities of the system, and what i can reasonably expect out of its games. but one improvement that i would like to see with the wiimote is a better quality speaker built into it. this idea was a very good one, and can be very gratifying, but was not exactly well implemented. with the speaker being so cheap, it pops and cracks and is generally unreliable. anyone recall the level in Raymond Raving Rabbids where you are crossing the mine field (junkyard)? it was one of the hardest parts in that whole game solely because the quality of that speaker. i just hope this gets fixed eventually because it has so much immersion potential. i mean, how sweet was it the first time you swung your sword in zelda, heard the clang and felt the rumble in your hand? good ideas deserve their merits, but should be followed through on.

I think the biggest challenge for the Wii is getting developers to not mess up the controls that should work but don't for one simple reason...accelleration.

It seems as though the bad controls on some games comes from the accelleration in the opposite direction of motion when you stop the control. Developers need to keep in mind that the accelleration doesn't always mean action, even if it is in the right direction, There are plenty of good Wii games that show good controls can be done, but there are plenty more that, for instance, as you swing, it works, and as you rest and stop your arm, it works again.

I'm not sure I see space as an issue for any Wii game either, as the author says. There's no more a space problem for the Wii than there was a space problem for FFVII on PS. That's really no excuse.

I think developers will find very good ways to use the motion control, and I think next gen we'll see it on all of the consoles. This will be the 3rd time Nintendo has revolutionized how we control games.